BROOKS Arthur

Name: Arthur Brooks

Born: 10 February 1920

Rank: Private

Service Number: 4620522

Died: 13 February 1973

Pre-War: Arthur was born in Stepney. He married Agnes on 30 December 1939 and initially lived in Staffordshire with Agnes’ family up to the war. Wartime experience: Arthur enlisted on 18 March 1940, in October 1941 he left Staffordshire, England aged 20, bound for Singapore leaving behind his wife, Agnes, and 14 month old daughter, Maureen.

Year Month Day Comments Left Liverpool, England on SS Orcades bound for 24th / October 27th Halifax, Canada (Aged 21 Years) [Convoy CT.5 - with the 18th Division] Transferred to the USS West Point in Halifax, Canada [Convoy William Sail 12X - with the 55th Infantry Brigade November 8th consisting of the 1st Cambridgeshires and the 5th Beds and Herts] 1941 USS West Point notified that Japanese had Bombed 7th Pearl Harbour and attached Malaya 9th USS West Point docked at Cape Town, South Africa December Mount Vernon left the Convoy with the 53rd Infantry 25th Brigade [Convoy DM1] 27th / USS West Point docked in Bombay from Cape Town 28th [Task Force 14.2]

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Year Month Day Comments 9th Left Bombay bound for Singapore January 29th Docked in Keppel Harbour, Singapore 11th Supporting the 4th Suffolks at Sime Road, Singapore Supporting the 1st Battalion Cambridgeshire Regiment at 13th Adam Park / Sime Road Singapore Captured by the 41st Japanese Regiment – Between 1942 February 4pm & 8:30pm (Changi Camp opened) 15th Arthur Brooks Recorded on War Office Casualty List No. 789 as “Missing” 17th Arrived at Changi POW Camp, Malai #1, Singapore 1st Moved Camp from Singapore to Thailand November 11th Arrived at Tha Sao (Tarsoe) POW Camp, Thailand Arthur Brooks Recorded on War Office Casualty List No. July 26th 1943 1196 as “Prisoner of War” March 18th General POW move to Tamuang 1944 May 16th Arrived at Tha Mueng (Tamuang) Camp 18th Arrived at Namajon (Tamajo) Camp Arrived at Nakom Nei (Nakom Nyok) POW Camp 15th March Thailand 30th Repatriated by the United Allies September 2nd Date of Liberation 1945 1st Evacuated by S.S. Chitral from Rangoon (Aged 25 Years) Arthur Brooks Recorded on War Office Casualty List No. October 16th 1885 as “Now not Prisoner of War” 28th Arrived in Southampton, England 1946 February 28th Dispersal from Army (Aged 26 Years)

Civilian life after return: Arthur returned home to Agnes and they then moved back to Stepney, London (the home town of Arthur’s family) in the East End. In the following years they had two other daughters, Pat and Joan. He had various jobs - worked as a Mortuary Assistant, and following that, he worked for Mann, Crossman & Paulin Ltd, Albion Brewery, Whitechapel Road, London for a number of years. Arthur remarried in 1960 to Elsie Lydia Thornton. He worked for the Metropolitan Water Board from 1968. Sadly, after going to bed for a nap during the day on 10 February 1973, Arthur passed away, at the age of 53. Arthur with his wife, Elsie